Software verification system and methods

ABSTRACT

A method for detecting a confirmation of a properly installed software product on a computing device, determining the software product installation properties of the properly installed software product, and storing information relating to at least one or more software product installation properties of the properly installed software product.

COPYRIGHT STATEMENT

All of the material in this patent document is subject to copyrightprotection under the copyright laws of the United States and othercountries. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimilereproduction by anyone of the patent document or the patent disclosure,as it appears in official governmental records but, otherwise, all othercopyright rights whatsoever are reserved.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to computer systems. More specifically,the present invention relates to computer software installations in acomputer system.

There are many web sites that instruct individuals on how to determinethe version of their software product that is installed on a computer.Many times, though, the instructions require running a database scriptthat returns a single piece of information stored in the database, orthe script checks the file version of one EXE or DLL. There are alsoscripts and products that allow the user to see the list of installedapplications and the respective version of each product on the computingdevice. None of these scripts or products, though, provides a thoroughverification of the specific version of the software installed.

The current scripts and products available to verify software do notallow a user to build a thorough definition of a product.

Accordingly, there exists a need for an improved method and system forverifying installed software. This and other needs are addressed by oneor more aspects of the present invention.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention includes many aspects and features. Moreover,while many aspects and features relate to, and are described in, thecontext of healthcare applications, the present invention is not limitedto use only in this context, as will become apparent from the followingsummaries and detailed descriptions of aspects, features, and one ormore embodiments of the present invention.

Accordingly, one aspect of the present invention relates to a method fordetecting a confirmation of a properly installed software product on acomputing device, determining the software product installationproperties of the properly installed software product, and storinginformation relating to at least one or more software productinstallation properties of the properly installed software product.

In a feature of this aspect, the product definition includes the storedinformation.

In another feature of this aspect, at least one or more installationproperties include at least one or more of a file, a database object, atable, a procedure and registry entries.

In another feature of this aspect, the file information includes atleast one or more of a name of the file, a directory where the file islocated, a date and time last modified, a size, version number, and aflag.

In another feature of this aspect, the database object informationincludes metadata about the object.

In another feature of this aspect, the table information includes atleast one or more of a list of columns in the table, data types and amaximum length.

In another feature of this aspect, the procedure information includes atleast one or more of indexes, functions, triggers, constraints andforeign keys.

In another feature of this aspect, the registry entries informationincludes at least one or more of a name, location and flag.

Another aspect of the present invention relates to a method forverifying an installed software product stored on a computer deviceincluding the steps of determining the software product installationproperties of the installed software product, comparing the installationproperties to a stored product definition, and indicating to a user aconfirmation that the installed software product is properly installedwhen the installation properties are equivalent to the productdefinition.

In a feature of this aspect, the stored product definition includes oneor more installation properties of a previously confirmed properlyinstalled software product.

In another feature of this aspect, the stored product definition isgenerated by a computer program comprising instructions for detecting aconfirmation of the previously properly installed software product on acomputing device, determining the software product installationproperties of the previously properly installed software product, andstoring information relating to at least one or more properly installedsoftware product installation properties of the properly installedsoftware product.

In addition to the aforementioned aspects and features of the presentinvention, it should be noted that the present invention furtherencompasses the various possible combinations and subcombinations ofsuch aspects and features. Thus, for example, any aspect may be combinedwith an aforementioned feature in accordance with the present inventionwithout requiring any other aspect or feature.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

One or more preferred embodiments of the present invention now will bedescribed in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, whereinthe same elements are referred to with the same reference numerals, andwherein,

FIG. 1 is an example illustration of a computing device in accordancewith a disclosed implementation of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an example flow diagram of an implementation of the generationof a product definition in accordance with the present invention; and

FIG. 3 is an example flow diagram of an implementation of theverification of an installed software product on a computing device inaccordance with the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring now to the drawings, one or more preferred embodiments of thepresent invention are next described. The following description of oneor more preferred embodiments is merely exemplary in nature and is in noway intended to limit the invention, its implementations, or uses.

As a preliminary matter, it will readily be understood by one havingordinary skill in the relevant art (“Ordinary Artisan”) that the presentinvention has broad utility and application. As should be understood,any embodiment may incorporate only one or a plurality of theabove-disclosed aspects of the invention and may further incorporateonly one or a plurality of the above-disclosed features. Furthermore,any embodiment discussed and identified as being “preferred” isconsidered to be part of a best mode contemplated for carrying out thepresent invention. Other embodiments also may be discussed foradditional illustrative purposes in providing a full and enablingdisclosure of the present invention. As should be understood, anyembodiment may incorporate only one or a plurality of theabove-disclosed aspects of the invention and may further incorporateonly one or a plurality of the above-disclosed features. Moreover, manyembodiments, such as adaptations, variations, modifications, andequivalent arrangements, will be implicitly disclosed by the embodimentsdescribed herein and fall within the scope of the present invention.

Accordingly, while the present invention is described herein in detailin relation to one or more embodiments, it is to be understood that thisdisclosure is illustrative and exemplary of the present invention, andis made merely for the purposes of providing a full and enablingdisclosure of the present invention. The detailed disclosure herein ofone or more embodiments is not intended, nor is to be construed, tolimit the scope of patent protection afforded the present invention,which scope is to be defined by the claims and the equivalents thereof.It is not intended that the scope of patent protection afforded thepresent invention be defined by reading into any claim a limitationfound herein that does not explicitly appear in the claim itself.

Thus, for example, any sequence(s) and/or temporal order of steps ofvarious processes or methods that are described herein are illustrativeand not restrictive. Accordingly, it should be understood that, althoughsteps of various processes or methods may be shown and described asbeing in a sequence or temporal order, the steps of any such processesor methods are not limited to being carried out in any particularsequence or order, absent an indication otherwise. Indeed, the steps insuch processes or methods generally may be carried out in variousdifferent sequences and orders while still falling within the scope ofthe present invention. Accordingly, it is intended that the scope ofpatent protection afforded the present invention is to be defined by theappended claims rather than the description set forth herein.

Additionally, it is important to note that each term used herein refersto that which the Ordinary Artisan would understand such term to meanbased on the contextual use of such term herein. To the extent that themeaning of a term used herein—as understood by the Ordinary Artisanbased on the contextual use of such term—differs in any way from anyparticular dictionary definition of such term, it is intended that themeaning of the term as understood by the Ordinary Artisan shouldprevail.

An example of a suitable computing device operable in accordance with animplementation of the disclosed system and method set forth below isillustrated in FIG. 1. It should be noted that the various functionalblocks shown in FIG. 1 may include hardware elements, software elements(including computer code or instructions stored on a non-transitorymachine-readable medium) or a combination of both hardware and softwareelements. The computing device 100, may be implemented in differentforms. For example, the computing device 100 may be implemented as aserver, group of servers, a desktop computer, laptop, workstation,personal digital assistant (PDA) and other appropriate computers. Thecomputing device 100 includes a bus 10, display interface 55, displaydevice 50, I/O ports 40, Input interface 90, data processing circuitry,such as one or more processors 20, a memory device 30, a non-volatilestorage 60, a networking device 80 and a power source 70.

The computing device may be implemented as a mobile computing device.The mobile computing device may be implemented by various mobiledevices, such as PDAs, cellular phones, smart phones, tablets and othersimilar computing devices. The mobile computing device includes a bus, adisplay, I/O ports, Input displays, one or more processors, a memorydevice, a non-volatile storage, a networking device, a power source,similar to the computing device 100 illustrated in FIG. 1. The mobilecomputing device further includes a transceiver for implementingwireless communication under various protocols, such as SMS or MMSmessaging, CDMA, TDMA, WCDMA or GPRS, among others. The components ofthe computing devices as shown, their connections and relationships andtheir functions are meant for exemplary purposes only, and are not meantto limit implementations of the disclosed inventions described and/orclaimed in this disclosure.

The display device 50 may be used to display images generated by thecomputing device 100, for example a graphical user interface (GUI). Thedisplay 50 may be any type of display such as a cathode ray tube (CRT),a liquid crystal display (LCD), a light emitting diode (LED) display, orother suitable display. In certain implementations of the computingdevice 100, the display 50 may include a touch-sensitive element, suchas a touch screen.

The processor(s) 20 may provide data processing capability to executeand support one or more operating systems, computer programs, user andapplication interfaces, software systems and applications, and any otherfunctions of the computing device 100 that may be stored in a memory onthe processor 20, the memory device 30 or on the storage device 60. Theprocessor(s) 20 may include one or more microprocessors, such as one ormore “general-purpose”microprocessors, one or more special-purposemicroprocessors and/or ASICS, for example.

The processor(s) 20 may communicate with a user through input interface90 and display interface 55 coupled to the display 50. The displayinterface 55 may comprise appropriate circuitry for driving the display50 to present graphical and other information to a user. The inputinterface 90 may receive commands from a user and convert them forsubmission to the processor 20.

The instructions or data to be processed by the processor(s) 20 may bestored in a memory 30. The memory 30 may be provided as a volatilememory, such as random access memory (RAM), and/or as a non-volatilememory, such as read-only memory (ROM). The memory 30 may store avariety of information and may be used for various purposes. Forexample, the memory 30 may store firmware executed by a processor 20(such as a method for generating and storing a product definition and amethod for verifying a proper software product installation on acomputing device as discussed herein), other programs that enablevarious functions of the computing device 100, user interface functions,and processor functions. The memory 30 may also be another form ofcomputer-readable medium.

The components may further include a non-volatile storage 60 forpersistent storage of data and/or instructions. The non-volatile storage60 may include flash memory, a hard drive, or any other optical,magnetic, and/or solid-state storage media. The non-volatile storage 60may be used to store data files, software, wireless connectioninformation (e.g., information that may enable the computing device 100to establish a wireless connection, and any other suitable data. Inaddition, the non-volatile storage 60 may also store code and/or datafor implementing various functions of the computing device 100, such asapplication or program code, data associated with such applications orprograms, operating system code, user configured preferences, as well ascode for implementing a method for generating and storing a productdefinition and a method for verifying a proper software productinstallation on a computing device as discussed herein. Inimplementation, the storage device 60 may be or contain acomputer-readable medium.

A computer program product can be tangibly embodied in an informationcarrier. The computer program products may also contain instructionsthat, when executed, perform one or more methods, such as thosedescribed below. The information carrier is a computer- ormachine-readable medium, such as the memory 30, the storage device 60,memory on processor 20, or a propagated signal.

A machine-readable medium includes any mechanism for storing ortransmitting information in a form readable by a machine (e.g., acomputer). For example, a machine-readable medium includes read onlymemory (“ROM”); random access memory (“RAM”); magnetic disk storagemedia; optical storage media; flash memory devices; electrical, optical,acoustical or other form of propagated signals (e.g., carrier waves,infrared signals, digital signals, etc.); etc.

The disclosed system and methods are preferably implemented by software,hardware, or a combination of hardware and software. The disclosedimplementations can include implementation in one or more computerprograms that are executable and/or interpretable on a programmableprocessor, which may be special or general purpose, coupled to receivedata and instructions from, and to transmit data and instructions to, astorage system, at least one input device, and at least one outputdevice.

These computer programs (also known as programs, software, softwareapplications or code) include machine instructions for a programmableprocessor, and can be implemented in an appropriate programminglanguage. As used herein, the terms “machine-readable medium”“computer-readable medium” refers to any computer program product,apparatus and/or device (e.g., magnetic discs, optical disks, memory)used to provide machine instruction and/or data to a programmableprocessor. The computer readable medium can also be distributed overnetwork-coupled computer systems so that the computer readable code isstored and executed in a distributed fashion.

Implementations of the disclosed system and methods aim to remove thefrustration and large amount of time spent troubleshooting a softwareissue that stems from an incomplete or improper installation of aproduct. The disclosed system and method provides the ability tothoroughly verify that all components of a given software product areinstalled on a given computing device. A complete and thoroughdefinition of a properly installed software product is generated andstored on a computer readable medium, and used on other computingdevices to verify that a software product installed on the othercomputing device is correct, confirming that no incorrect files,databases objects or registry entries exist that may cause the softwareproduct to operate improperly.

Referring to FIG. 1, when a software program is being installed on thecomputing device 100 from a computer readable medium, e.g., a disc orCD, the processor 20 executes the installation procedure stored on themedium. As those having skill in art know, the installation of asoftware program may include one or more of: the processor 20 makingsure that necessary system requirements are met; checking the computingdevice 100 for existing versions of the software program, creating orupdating program files and folders, adding configuration data such asconfiguration files, Windows registry entries or environment variables,making the software accessible to the user, for instance by creatinglinks, shortcuts or bookmarks, configuring components that runautomatically, such as daemons or Windows services, performing productactivation, and updating the software versions.

Once the processor 20 has completed execution of the installation of thesoftware program on the computing device 100, a user confirms that thesoftware program was properly installed and is operating in the intendedmanner. The user decides whether or not to create the product definitionform the installed software program immediately after installation orafter the software program has been started and/or configured. Sincesome software programs create files, registry entries or databaseobjects when first started, or when configured, the user decides what isconsidered a properly installed software program.

When a properly installed software program has been determined, theprocessor 20 executes a verification tool that interrogates thecomputing device and stores a detailed product definition of informationrelating to the software product's installation properties. Theinstallation properties may include at least one or more of a file(s),database objects, tables and views, procedures and registry entries.

The verification tool is, preferably, stored on a computer readablemedium. The verification tool may be a part of a memory in theprocessor, included in the computing device, a memory, storage, or anexternal medium that is coupled to the computing device via the I/Oport. The product definition of the software program, as built by theverification tool, includes information about the files, registryentries and database objects associated with the product.

When building the product definition, the information relating to filesthat have version numbers (EXE, DLL, OCX, etc.) includes at least one ormore of the name of the file, the directory where the file is located,the date and time last modified (e.g., using UTC format), the size,version number, an MD5 hash of the file contents and a flag to indicateif the file is optional or not. For files without version numbers, theinformation includes the name, directory and the flag to indicate if thefile is optional or not.

In another implementation, the verification tool may allow the user toinput more, or take away, information that is included in the productdefinition about the file, whether a versioned file or not.

For database objects, the information included in the productdefinition, built by the verification tool, includes metadata about eachobject. For tables and views, the product definition includes a list ofcolumns in the table/view and for each column, a hash of the list ofcolumn names (in order of definition), data types, maximum length, if itcan be NULL or not and if there is a default value.

For stored procedures, the product definition includes one or more ofindexes, functions, triggers, constraints and foreign keys, a hash ofthe CREATE statement for that object as well as which database/tableit's associated with, if applicable.

For registry entries, the product definition includes one or more of thename, location and a flag indicating if the entry is optional or not.Preferably, the product definition does not include the content of theentry, since registry items are for configuration purposes and thereforethe content will vary from site to site and/or from computing device tocomputing device.

As a company creates newer versions of a product or if they receive anew version of a product from another vendor, the tool will need to berun again to generate a definition of the new version. It does notmatter if this is an update to a given version, like a Service Pack, ora new, full version that might get released on a CD or DVD. This toolonly works with cumulative updates to a product so if the update notcumulative, this tool will not be useful for defining that update. Fullversions of a product are almost always cumulative so this tool willwork in those situations.

The verification tool may be used internally by a company to createdefinitions of a software product's installation. It does not matterwhether the company created the product or purchased it from anothercompany. The creation of the product definition process will happen onmachines where a known good installation of the product exists. Thisproper installation is meant to be a pristine environment where thesoftware product is known to be installed correctly and completely.

An example flow diagram of an implementation of the method forgenerating a product definition is illustrated in FIG. 2. A softwareproduct is installed on a computing device. STEP 300. A confirmation ofa properly installed software product is detected by a processorincluded in the computing device from the user. STEP 301. The processorexecutes a verification tool to generate a product definition. STEP 302.The product definition is generated and saved by the processor to acomputer readable medium. STEP 303.

The verification tool may also be used when a certain computing deviceneeds to be interrogated to ensure that a given version of a product isinstalled correctly or not. This computing device, for example, can beat a customer site or on an internal machine used for internal needs,such as performance testing, or general Quality Assurance testing, e.g.,before any users are allowed on the system to begin configuration orusage of the product.

FIG. 3 is an example flow diagram of an implementation of the method forverifying that a computing device has a properly installed softwareproduct. A processor included in the computing device detects theinitialization of the verification tool, including the productdefinition, stored on a computer readable medium. STEP 400. Productinstall information is detected for the software product by theprocessor. STEP 401. The verification tool compares the product installinformation to the product definition of the verification tool, STEP402, and determines if the product install information is equivalent tothe product definition. If the product definition is equivalent, theverification tool confirms a properly installed software product to theprocessor. STEP 403. Otherwise, the verification tool indicates to theprocessor that the software product installed on the computing device isnot properly installed. STEP 404.

The disclosed system and method is useful to software companies thatcreate one or more products and regularly release newer versions of theproduct. On in-house machines, product definitions of known goodinstallations of a given product may be created. Accordingly, whencustomers have an issue with a product on site, the disclosedverification tool may be executed to verify that the installation isstill correct before beginning normal troubleshooting procedures.

The disclosed implementation is also useful to companies that purchaseproducts that are highly configurable. If the purchasing company hasmany different standard configurations, this tool can be used to comparea given machine against one of the standard configurations. Whether thepurchasing company re-distributes the purchased product to its customersor uses it extensively in-house, the tool can be used to verify a testor production environment before the normal troubleshooting proceduresare used to determine the root cause of a problem.

When using the tool to check an installation, installation using theclassic Windows MSI Installer is not required. All that is needed is thefiles for the verification tool along with the product definitions to beplaced on the customer box with a simple file copy.

Based on the foregoing description, it will be readily understood bythose persons skilled in the art that the present invention issusceptible of broad utility and application. Many embodiments andadaptations of the present invention other than those specificallydescribed herein, as well as many variations, modifications, andequivalent arrangements, will be apparent from or reasonably suggestedby the present invention and the foregoing descriptions thereof, withoutdeparting from the substance or scope of the present invention.Accordingly, while the present invention has been described herein indetail in relation to one or more preferred embodiments, it is to beunderstood that this disclosure is only illustrative and exemplary ofthe present invention and is made merely for the purpose of providing afull and enabling disclosure of the invention. The foregoing disclosureis not intended to be construed to limit the present invention orotherwise exclude any such other embodiments, adaptations, variations,modifications or equivalent arrangements, the present invention beinglimited only by the claims appended hereto and the equivalents thereof.

What is claimed is:
 1. A device comprising a non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions for generating a product definition for a software product and validating installations of that software product using the generated product definition, (a) wherein the device is configured to be physically coupled to a computer via a hardware interface such that the computer can execute the stored instructions for generating a product definition for a software product and validating installations of that software product using the generated product definition; (b) wherein the device and instructions are configured to enable the device to be utilized in a method comprising (i) physically coupling the device to a first computer having a first installation of a first software product installed thereon, (ii) executing, using a processor of the first computer, instructions stored on the device which generate a first product definition for the first installation of the first software product installed on the first computer, such generation including (A) generating, for each file of the first installation on the first computer which includes a version number, a hash value for that respective file, (B) generating information about registry entries on the first computer for the first software product, (iii) physically coupling the device to a second computer having a second installation of the first software product installed thereon, and (iv) executing, using a processor of the second computer, instructions stored on the device which attempt to validate the second installation, such validation including (A) comparing the generated hash values for the first installation to generated hash values for the second installation, and (B) comparing the generated information about registry entries on the first computer for the first software product to registry entries on the second computer for the first software product.
 2. The device of claim 1, wherein generating, for each file of the first installation on the first computer which includes a version number, a hash value for that respective file comprises generating an MD5 hash value.
 3. The device of claim 1, wherein, with respect to executing, using a processor of the first computer, instructions stored on the device which generate a first product definition for the first installation of the first software product installed on the first computer, such generation comprises generating information about a database object.
 4. The device of claim 1, wherein, with respect to executing, using a processor of the first computer, instructions stored on the device which generate a first product definition for the first installation of the first software product installed on the first computer, such generation comprises generating information about a table.
 5. The device of claim 1, wherein, with respect to executing, using a processor of the first computer, instructions stored on the device which generate a first product definition for the first installation of the first software product installed on the first computer, such generation comprises utilizing information about a last modified time of a file.
 6. The device of claim 1, wherein, with respect to executing, using a processor of the first computer, instructions stored on the device which generate a first product definition for the first installation of the first software product installed on the first computer, such generation comprises setting a flag to indicate whether a file is optional.
 7. A method comprising (a) providing a device comprising a non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions for generating a product definition for a software product and validating installations of that software product using the generated product definition, wherein the device is configured to be physically coupled to a computer via a hardware interface such that the computer can execute the stored instructions for generating a product definition for a software product and validating installations of that software product using the generated product definition; (b) physically coupling the device to a first computer having a first installation of a first software product installed thereon; (c) executing, using a processor of the first computer, instructions stored on the device which generate a first product definition for the first installation of the first software product installed on the first computer, such generation including (i) generating, for each file of the first installation on the first computer which includes a version number, a hash value for that respective file, (ii) generating information about registry entries on the first computer for the first software product; (d) physically coupling the device to a second computer having a second installation of the first software product installed thereon; and (e) executing, using a processor of the second computer, instructions stored on the device which attempt to validate the second installation, such validation including (i) comparing the generated hash values for the first installation to generated hash values for the second installation, and (ii) comparing the generated information about registry entries on the first computer for the first software product to registry entries on the second computer for the first software product.
 8. The method of claim 7, wherein generating, for each file of the first installation on the first computer which includes a version number, a hash value for that respective file comprises generating an MD5 hash value.
 9. The method of claim 7, wherein, with respect to executing, using a processor of the first computer, instructions stored on the device which generate a first product definition for the first installation of the first software product installed on the first computer, such generation comprises generating information about a database object.
 10. The method of claim 7, wherein, with respect to executing, using a processor of the first computer, instructions stored on the device which generate a first product definition for the first installation of the first software product installed on the first computer, such generation comprises generating information about a table.
 11. The method of claim 7, wherein, with respect to executing, using a processor of the first computer, instructions stored on the device which generate a first product definition for the first installation of the first software product installed on the first computer, such generation comprises utilizing information about a last modified time of a file.
 12. The method of claim 7, wherein, with respect to executing, using a processor of the first computer, instructions stored on the device which generate a first product definition for the first installation of the first software product installed on the first computer, such generation comprises setting a flag to indicate whether a file is optional. 